Research Question: What role does diversity play in standardized testing? Author: Emma Bychok
1. STUART WELLS, A. (2014). Seeing Past the 'Color-blind' Myth of Education Policy. Education Digest, 80(3), 38-41.
Summary of Academic Journal: This article addresses the racial and ethnic inequality. The author, Amy Stuart Wells, uses the phrase "color-blind" to represent the people who are oblivious to other races, and the inequality among races in schools. Wells claims that schools are failing to address the quickly changing demographics, and she believes it should be considered an asset to schools, however, most schools are "color-blind" to it. She argues that school systems don't realize that race is a deciding factor in where the students go to school, what resources they have access to, and whether or not they are understood and appreciated by teachers. Wells identifies that the standards/accountability movement and the free-market school choice policies have been responsible for a solution to the racial achievement gap. These two policies were specifically launched in response to the performance of schools following the end of the Civil Rights era. In fact, many policies regarding education were passed at that time and that coincided with the largest reductions in the black-white achievement gap in the nation's history. Wells is arguing that in we are not in the "post-racial" era, our nation is not trying hard enough to support teaching and learning in racially diverse schools, which is causing racial segregation and inequality. She recommends two policies: creating and sustaining more racially and ethnically diverse schools, and supporting curriculum, teaching, and assessment that taps into the educational benefits of diversity. The first policy just says to identify the changing demographics and then provide more support for the racially diverse schools. The second policy states that we should expand legal challenges based on educational benefits of diversity, and then tapping into the Common Core's potential to support educational benefits of diversity.
Reaction to Academic Journal: I really enjoyed how Wells used the term "color-blind" to represent the population of our nation who is still racist and oblivious to people of color. I think it was a really eye-opening and effective strategy on her part. While this journal is not specifically about standardized testing, I think this article described the racial gap in students perfectly. My favorite part of the article was when Wells stated that the largest reduction in the black-white achievement gap in our nation were the policies regarding education. Wells is absolutely right when she says that there is still racial segregation and inequality in schools, and there is still an achievement gap between races. In order for schools to be successful, they need to stop being "color-blind" and make efforts to demolish the racial achievement gap.
Summary of Informative Magazine: This article titled "Tests Balance Common Core, Those With Cognitive Issues" was written by Christina A. Samuels and she addresses how there is not enough attention or field tests for students with severe cognitive disabilities. Samuels identifies that there are 42 states that have signed on to one of the alternate assessment groups. There will be 4 million students estimated to be taking the general common core assessments, the participants in these alternate field tests will number in the thousands, however, their cognitive abilities will be all across the board. The range of abilities is huge, yet they are all expected to be measured on standards that have a foundation in grade-level academic work. In 1997, Congress mandated that students with disabilities should have access to the general curriculum and be included in statewide testing. In 2004 the Department of Education said the up to 1% of students, or about 10% of all students with disabilities could be tested on the "alternate assessments tied to alternate achievement standards" and be counted as proficient under the No Child Left Behind Act.Samuels argues that the work on common-core-alligned alternate assessments is a good thing for kids with disabilities. One teacher said that her eighth students, all with cognitive disabilities, were able to take a computerized test alongside their mainstream peers. This computerized test had questions based on a modified grade-level text, which made it not as overwhelming for students with disabilities. These field tests have been given in Montana, and they promise to tie in closely to classroom instruction in a way that the current standardized test is not.
Reaction to Informative Magazine Article: I thought this was a good read on students with disabilities. It addressed the back and forth Congress, the nation, and the Department of Education have gone in regards to the education of students with disabilities. I completely agree that there has been an overreaction from parents, and others, that say they aren't challenging students with disabilities enough, and then they are accused because they are executive too much from them. So this raises the question, how do we really know what is best for students with disabilities, and how do we find that right balance of challenging them without being too demanding? I thought it was really inspiring that the students with disabilities were able to take that test alongside their peers because it makes them feel so accomplished.
Summary of Newspaper Article: This article follows a young man named Michael Evans who earned on of the lowest scores in his school on an intelligent test. The article states that Michael didn't score low because of his ability, he's normally a straight-A student, he scored low because he chose not to finish the test. He said to the reporter that he didn't like the questions because it was a "white racist test...given by the white people, made up by the white people and even grade by white people." The NWEA test disadvantages non-English speaking students, special education students, minority and low-income children. 129 schools in Chicago were in danger of being closed down at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, and the closing down is tied to test scores. A majority of these schools are Africa-American and Latino schools. These neighborhoods are already besieged by crime, poverty, and foreclosure.
Reaction to Newspaper Article: I thought that there were a lot of powerful statements in this article. First about Michael's African-American friend Eddie who choose table as the word to best match the word cup because at his house there aren't any saucers, so Eddie didn't know to choose saucer as an answer. I also thought it was powerful when there was the statistic about 129 schools in Chicago that are being threatened to be closed down because of low test scores. Lastly, I thought the last sentence of this article was really powerful, which is "It's hard to get the right answers when you don't understand the questions."
Summary of Argumentative Article: In 2001 the Educational Testing Service announced that they would stop flagging the test scores of students with physical or learning disabilities who take their standardized test with special accommodations. The SAT is not included in this though. Prior to this announcement, students granted accommodations on the standardized test had their results flagged with the notion "Scores Obtained Under Special Circumstances," and this happened for decades. This article also stated that there was an increasing concern that affluent white students received accommodations on their standardized tests far more often than poor black or Hispanic students.
Reaction to Argumentative Article: This article provided good background information on what was going with disabled students and standardized testing 14 years ago. I do think that it made a few good points about how affluent white disabled students received accommodations such as extra time more so than the black and Hispanic disable students.
Summary of Research Report: This article states that there are substantial differences among groups in mean scores on standardized tests. It points out that the largest gap is between white and African-American test takers, followed by Hispanic test takers. Not only are there gaps between races, but there is also gaps between groups with different socioeconomic status.There is a substantial difference among ethnic and racial groups at each socioeconomic level. In this article it was stated that whites outperformed African-American and Hispanic students on multiple choice and free response sections on almost all AP Examinations. A lot of people relate standardized test performance to the social and wealth status of the family. The differences across assessments and other measures illustrate the inequities minorities have suffered through inadequate academic preparation, poverty, and discrimination. There is a lack of advanced and rigorous courses in inner-city schools, and a lack of access to such programs when available.
Reaction to Research Report: This article was jam packed with information, charts, and tables, however, they weren't that easy to read so they didn't help as much as I hoped they would. I think that it described, in very informative detail, that minorities do not have the same opportunities that white students have, and they linked that to low income as well. I do think that this article is a little outdated, considering that it was written in 1999, but nevertheless it was helpful to see that even 16 years ago there were problems with minorities and standardized testing. It makes me wonder if there's ever going to be something done about it, because it isn't an easy problem to solve.
Overall Reaction to Your Research
Overall I learned that race and ability play a huge role in standardized testing, however, at the same time it is a topic that is hardly discussed. Students with disabilities receive extra time on these tests, but we are unsure how much extra time should be allowed to these students in order to keep things fair. I also learned a lot about how people are "color-blind" to students of color in schools. There is a huge achievement gap between races, and especially between students who have learning disabilities. I've noticed a trend of how teachers don't know how to approach this issue.
How does this research help us identify or refine a strategy to improve schools in Rhode Island?
I do think that my research has proven that there needs to be something done regarding diversity in standardized testing. Although, there isn't a single solution to this problem. For students with learning disabilities, I believe that they should be treated just as their peers because they are capable of much more than they get credit for. They should receive extra time on standardized test, if absolutely necessary and that shouldn't flag their scores. As for minority students, that is a little more complicated. It's hard to pinpoint an exact solution because each minority student comes from a different background of family wealth and general knowledge. In general, standardized tests should have grade-level text and questions based on what they are learning in school.
Author: Emma Bychok
1. STUART WELLS, A. (2014). Seeing Past the 'Color-blind' Myth of Education Policy. Education Digest, 80(3), 38-41.
Summary of Academic Journal: This article addresses the racial and ethnic inequality. The author, Amy Stuart Wells, uses the phrase "color-blind" to represent the people who are oblivious to other races, and the inequality among races in schools. Wells claims that schools are failing to address the quickly changing demographics, and she believes it should be considered an asset to schools, however, most schools are "color-blind" to it. She argues that school systems don't realize that race is a deciding factor in where the students go to school, what resources they have access to, and whether or not they are understood and appreciated by teachers. Wells identifies that the standards/accountability movement and the free-market school choice policies have been responsible for a solution to the racial achievement gap. These two policies were specifically launched in response to the performance of schools following the end of the Civil Rights era. In fact, many policies regarding education were passed at that time and that coincided with the largest reductions in the black-white achievement gap in the nation's history. Wells is arguing that in we are not in the "post-racial" era, our nation is not trying hard enough to support teaching and learning in racially diverse schools, which is causing racial segregation and inequality. She recommends two policies: creating and sustaining more racially and ethnically diverse schools, and supporting curriculum, teaching, and assessment that taps into the educational benefits of diversity. The first policy just says to identify the changing demographics and then provide more support for the racially diverse schools. The second policy states that we should expand legal challenges based on educational benefits of diversity, and then tapping into the Common Core's potential to support educational benefits of diversity.
Reaction to Academic Journal: I really enjoyed how Wells used the term "color-blind" to represent the population of our nation who is still racist and oblivious to people of color. I think it was a really eye-opening and effective strategy on her part. While this journal is not specifically about standardized testing, I think this article described the racial gap in students perfectly. My favorite part of the article was when Wells stated that the largest reduction in the black-white achievement gap in our nation were the policies regarding education. Wells is absolutely right when she says that there is still racial segregation and inequality in schools, and there is still an achievement gap between races. In order for schools to be successful, they need to stop being "color-blind" and make efforts to demolish the racial achievement gap.
2. Samuels, Christina. (2014, April 15). Tests Balance Common Core, Those With Cognitive Issues. Retrieved December 5, 2015, from
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/04/16/28fieldtest_ep.h33.html?qs=standardized+testing,+learning+disabilities
Summary of Informative Magazine: This article titled "Tests Balance Common Core, Those With Cognitive Issues" was written by Christina A. Samuels and she addresses how there is not enough attention or field tests for students with severe cognitive disabilities. Samuels identifies that there are 42 states that have signed on to one of the alternate assessment groups. There will be 4 million students estimated to be taking the general common core assessments, the participants in these alternate field tests will number in the thousands, however, their cognitive abilities will be all across the board. The range of abilities is huge, yet they are all expected to be measured on standards that have a foundation in grade-level academic work. In 1997, Congress mandated that students with disabilities should have access to the general curriculum and be included in statewide testing. In 2004 the Department of Education said the up to 1% of students, or about 10% of all students with disabilities could be tested on the "alternate assessments tied to alternate achievement standards" and be counted as proficient under the No Child Left Behind Act.Samuels argues that the work on common-core-alligned alternate assessments is a good thing for kids with disabilities. One teacher said that her eighth students, all with cognitive disabilities, were able to take a computerized test alongside their mainstream peers. This computerized test had questions based on a modified grade-level text, which made it not as overwhelming for students with disabilities. These field tests have been given in Montana, and they promise to tie in closely to classroom instruction in a way that the current standardized test is not.
Reaction to Informative Magazine Article: I thought this was a good read on students with disabilities. It addressed the back and forth Congress, the nation, and the Department of Education have gone in regards to the education of students with disabilities. I completely agree that there has been an overreaction from parents, and others, that say they aren't challenging students with disabilities enough, and then they are accused because they are executive too much from them. So this raises the question, how do we really know what is best for students with disabilities, and how do we find that right balance of challenging them without being too demanding? I thought it was really inspiring that the students with disabilities were able to take that test alongside their peers because it makes them feel so accomplished.
3. Reese, Ronnie. (2013, February 21). Minority Testing Bias Persists. Retrieved December 5, 2015, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronnie-reese/test-bias-minorities_b_2734149.html
Summary of Newspaper Article: This article follows a young man named Michael Evans who earned on of the lowest scores in his school on an intelligent test. The article states that Michael didn't score low because of his ability, he's normally a straight-A student, he scored low because he chose not to finish the test. He said to the reporter that he didn't like the questions because it was a "white racist test...given by the white people, made up by the white people and even grade by white people." The NWEA test disadvantages non-English speaking students, special education students, minority and low-income children. 129 schools in Chicago were in danger of being closed down at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, and the closing down is tied to test scores. A majority of these schools are Africa-American and Latino schools. These neighborhoods are already besieged by crime, poverty, and foreclosure.
Reaction to Newspaper Article: I thought that there were a lot of powerful statements in this article. First about Michael's African-American friend Eddie who choose table as the word to best match the word cup because at his house there aren't any saucers, so Eddie didn't know to choose saucer as an answer. I also thought it was powerful when there was the statistic about 129 schools in Chicago that are being threatened to be closed down because of low test scores. Lastly, I thought the last sentence of this article was really powerful, which is "It's hard to get the right answers when you don't understand the questions."
4. Lewin, Tamar. (2001, February 7). Disabled Win Halt to Notations Of Special Arrangements on Tests. Retrieved December 5, 2015, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/08/us/disabled-win-halt-to-notations-of-special-arrangements-on-tests.html
Summary of Argumentative Article: In 2001 the Educational Testing Service announced that they would stop flagging the test scores of students with physical or learning disabilities who take their standardized test with special accommodations. The SAT is not included in this though. Prior to this announcement, students granted accommodations on the standardized test had their results flagged with the notion "Scores Obtained Under Special Circumstances," and this happened for decades. This article also stated that there was an increasing concern that affluent white students received accommodations on their standardized tests far more often than poor black or Hispanic students.
Reaction to Argumentative Article: This article provided good background information on what was going with disabled students and standardized testing 14 years ago. I do think that it made a few good points about how affluent white disabled students received accommodations such as extra time more so than the black and Hispanic disable students.
5. Camara, Wayne J., & Schmidt, Amy Elizabeth. (1999). Group Differences in Standardized Testing and Social Stratification. College Board Report. Retrieved December 2, 2015, from,
http://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchreport-1999-5-group-differences-standardized-testing-social-stratification.pdf
Summary of Research Report: This article states that there are substantial differences among groups in mean scores on standardized tests. It points out that the largest gap is between white and African-American test takers, followed by Hispanic test takers. Not only are there gaps between races, but there is also gaps between groups with different socioeconomic status.There is a substantial difference among ethnic and racial groups at each socioeconomic level. In this article it was stated that whites outperformed African-American and Hispanic students on multiple choice and free response sections on almost all AP Examinations. A lot of people relate standardized test performance to the social and wealth status of the family. The differences across assessments and other measures illustrate the inequities minorities have suffered through inadequate academic preparation, poverty, and discrimination. There is a lack of advanced and rigorous courses in inner-city schools, and a lack of access to such programs when available.
Reaction to Research Report: This article was jam packed with information, charts, and tables, however, they weren't that easy to read so they didn't help as much as I hoped they would. I think that it described, in very informative detail, that minorities do not have the same opportunities that white students have, and they linked that to low income as well. I do think that this article is a little outdated, considering that it was written in 1999, but nevertheless it was helpful to see that even 16 years ago there were problems with minorities and standardized testing. It makes me wonder if there's ever going to be something done about it, because it isn't an easy problem to solve.
Overall Reaction to Your Research
Overall I learned that race and ability play a huge role in standardized testing, however, at the same time it is a topic that is hardly discussed. Students with disabilities receive extra time on these tests, but we are unsure how much extra time should be allowed to these students in order to keep things fair. I also learned a lot about how people are "color-blind" to students of color in schools. There is a huge achievement gap between races, and especially between students who have learning disabilities. I've noticed a trend of how teachers don't know how to approach this issue.How does this research help us identify or refine a strategy to improve schools in Rhode Island?
I do think that my research has proven that there needs to be something done regarding diversity in standardized testing. Although, there isn't a single solution to this problem. For students with learning disabilities, I believe that they should be treated just as their peers because they are capable of much more than they get credit for. They should receive extra time on standardized test, if absolutely necessary and that shouldn't flag their scores. As for minority students, that is a little more complicated. It's hard to pinpoint an exact solution because each minority student comes from a different background of family wealth and general knowledge. In general, standardized tests should have grade-level text and questions based on what they are learning in school.